Nice are ready to demand Barcelona pay more than €40m for midfielder Jean-Michael Seri, who has also been linked with Liverpool.
Seri has attracted interest from a host of clubs this summer, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur linked, while Swansea City and Roma have had bids turned down; Liverpool recently started to express interest.
But Barcelona are one step ahead of their competitors after agreeing a four-year contract with Seri through his agent.
Now the Catalans are set to kick off talks with Nice and are ready to pay a privately agreed release clause of €40m to take Seri to the Camp Nou.
However, according to French sports daily L'Equipe, Nice say the clause was time limited and expired on 15th July.
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As such the Ligue 1 outfit are set to demand that Barcelona pay more than €40m to sign Seri, a player they paid just €700,000 to snap up.
Nice's official position remains that they do not want to sell Seri, with the club's president and coach both expressing the hope that he will stay put.
But the player's representatives are optimistic a move will happen.
